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The Cabin in the Woods is a slasher film that isn’t just trying to cash in on death and boobies… but there are death and boobies.

I have seen a couple other places do this and I feel like I owe it the same. If you do not want any type of spoiler at all, do yourself a favor and stop reading. Go see this movie with as little information as possible. Just know it is a slasher film. A bunch of teenagers go to a cabin and are attacked. That’s what you want to see and you’re going to get a lot more too. Now, on to the still not very spoiler-y, but a little more information than you may want review.

Horror movies are known for being predictable. They’re filled with archetypes we all know and, some of us, love. There’s the jock(Chris Hemsworth), the sexually charged bad girl(Anna Hutchison), the nice guy(Jesse Williams), the comic relief(Fran Kranz) and the good girl(typically a virgin or at least set on abstaining from the fun)(Kristin Connolly). It varies from film to film, but they typically end up in a secluded area where they split into small group and make increasingly stupid decisions until they’re mostly all murdered. The good girl usually survives and, if she’s lucky, gets to bring a friend along.

In that respect, The Cabin in the Woods is no different from the others. I personally grew up loving this genre. They’re not well acted and the stories are absurd, but there’s a joy in their simplicity(and sometimes boobies). My grandpa had a penchant for having marathons of these movies with my brothers and me. He especially enjoyed offering us money to touch the screen during extremely tense scenes(no one ever did). I will always have a special place for slasher movies and other horror films of their ilk.

The Cabin in the Woods has everything you want from a stupid slasher movie, but it differs by daring to ask why. Why do these people always make the dumbest decisions?(I don’t care how dirty you are, people are dying, it’s no time for a shower) Why do they always seem to find the perfect place in the forest to have sex? Why does this phenomenon of young people being murdered seem to happen nearly every year? The answers lie in a giant corporation having an affect on their actions. Don’t worry, there’s much more to it than that. The twists and turns will keep coming until the very end.

The two main guys representing this corporation are played by Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins and they’re great in their roles. The acting of the young people is more than passable and probably justifiable once you consider the meta things going on. Humor is used to great effect throughout the film. The standard slasher stuff stands by its self as a fine tribute.

The Cabin in the Woods isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t really aim to be. It wouldn’t be a send up of horror movies if it was. There’s one scene involving a motorcycle in particular that I really didn’t like, but it’s less than a minute.

I’m sure there will be more slasher movies made(and I’ll gladly watch them), but The Cabin in the Woods has rendered them unnecessary. The Cabin in the Woods essentially finishes the genre. I take my figurative hat off to Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. The bottom line is, if you’re a fan of the horror/slasher genre, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. The Cabin in the Woods gets a Full Energy Drink and the best of luck to people attempting to top it.

[Note: I spoil Marley & Me in this post. I honestly didn’t think you would mind. Also, if you do mind, you’d probably like to know I use the “f-word” too.(Shame on me)]

Blue Valentine is like watching your parents divorce, but you actually care about the marriage falling apart because your dad is Ryan Gosling.

Dean(The World’s 2nd Sexiest Man Alive, Ryan Gosling) and Cindy(Michelle Williams) are engaged in the type of marriage no one wants, but we’re all inevitably hurtling toward. His dream of making it big as a rock star ukulele player never really panned out.(Fuck you Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwoʻole) Dean now works as a house painter and Cindy is a nurse. They have a daughter, Frankie(Faith Wldaya), whom they both love and you get the sense is the only reason they’re still together. Dean has a line near the beginning of the film that somewhat sums up their situation, “I’m just tired, you know? I’m just fuckin’ tired.”

The action is split between showing how Dean and Cindy came together (he worked as a mover and she helped care for her elderly grandmother) and how their marriage is currently falling apart. In the beginning, Cindy is fed up with the fact that Dean isn’t serious enough. He drinks every morning before work, but sees this as a perk. He has no drive to become something better. As the story unfolds, however, it’s revealed that things aren’t that simple. The kindest thing Blue Valentine does is getting the death of their family dog out of the way in the beginning.(Fuck you Marley & Me)

The World’s 2nd Sexiest Man Alive, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams give equally great performances. They have great chemistry as young lovers and that lingers over the dead inside married couple. A lot of praise should go to co-writer/director Derek Cianfrance. His background in documentary film making really shines through as he tells a very real, heartbreaking story.

Blue Valentine is extremely well-balanced. It’s an unabashedly brutal and simultaneously beautiful film. It gets a Full Energy Drink.

The text I sent my friend summing up this movie:

Dude. Blue Valentine is awesome. Also, women are the worst.

What did you think? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you liked this post, don’t be a jerk, share it with your friends.

[Note: This review contains massive SPOILERS(not that anyone cares) and some pretty aggressive language, but it’s deserving of it.]

When it comes to realism and the people who made “New Year’s Eve,” not a single fuck was given.

During the credits of “New Year’s Eve” they play outtakes. This is a common practice which harkens back to the days of “Smokey and the Bandit,” but there’s one outtake in particular that sums up my feelings on the movie as a whole. A doctor is between a woman’s legs and pulls out a copy of “Valentine’s Day” on Blu Ray(it’s written and directed by the same duo). The doctor then pulls out a copy of “Valentine’s Day” on DVD and says, “Look twins.” It’s a clever plug for their other film and I really have no problem with it in general, but my problem is that DVDs and Blu Rays aren’t FUCKING twins. There is no care taken in any of the details of “New Year’s Eve.”

At first glance, “New Year’s Eve” seems like a quick cash grab with a bunch of possibly-could-be stars and no-longer-what-they-used-to-be stars and that’s exactly what it is. I’m not going to bother reviewing the acting or directing of this it because there isn’t one solid plot. It’s just a bunch of different stuff contritely tied together. Yes there are a lot of story lines and it’s sometimes difficult to keep up, but they’re all so bland you wouldn’t want to if you could. The style isn’t the problem. It’s the execution at every stage.

You can feed me warmed over crap and I’ll accept it. I may not enjoy it, but I’ll still watch it. “New Year’s Eve” actually laps itself and came back to me actually enjoying its awfulness.

So here’s the deal. I’m going to touch on most of the story lines and explain my major problems with them. Some of these are not complete thoughts or sentences because the filmmakers didn’t give a shit and I figure I shouldn’t either:

The movie revolves around two major parties. One of them is at Times Square and the other takes place at the Brooklyn Museum. Many of the characters travel back and forth with absolutely no issues. I know it’s probably because I live in New York, but I call bull shit. It’s just impossible to get back and forth in any reasonable amount of time. Especially on New Year’s Eve.

At one point, Bon Jovi’s character was in his bus strumming on his guitar and playing a Meatloaf song. That’s almost not fair to Meatloaf. It’d be like if Ryan Reynolds started playing Silent Bob in Kevin Smith movies.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s resolutions…

They were so absurd that if you read them and saw she waited til the last day of the year to accomplish them the only appropriate response would be, “Bitch, please.” One was “take a trip to Bali” and another was “take a trip around the world”. In one day? come on, lady.

The courier(Zac Effron) was helping her solve her resolutions in order to get tickets to a party. He delivered the tickets to her, but they were for a party that her work was throwing. Why would he specifically deliver tickets to one lady at this office? Would a large shipment have come in and the company distribute them then?

I’ll be generous and say this storyline started around 2pm. The amount of times they go from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Queens is absurd, especially considering that some of the “resolutions” took time to complete.

I’m not sure if you watch “Modern Family,” but Sofia Vergara has an accent. Oh, and boobs, she has boobs too, but mostly an accent. The trend continues here.

There’s a refusal to curse in this movie, which I understand, but at one point in time, one of the characters points it out and it drove me crazy.

Josh Dumael’s storyline:

He was trapped in New Jersey and must get back to meet his lost love and to give a giant speech at the company party. Oh, and his dad died at some point.

Good thing he catches a ride with a family that’s going to see something at Radio City Music Hall on New Year’s Day and they think it’s a good idea to drive into the city on New Year’s Eve in AN RV. WHAT?!

My favorite line in the movie came from Abigail Breslin’s character to her mom, “You’re just acting all clingy and mean because you don’t have a man in your life.” She’s a great role model for young women. Especially during the climax of the film she sees her crush kissing another girl at midnight. Later, at a diner, she confronts the boy and instead of him explaining, he just kisses her. I honestly don’t know if this was supposed to be a happy ending or not.

Hilary Swank as the Times Square Alliance lady:

At one point in time, the ball that’s supposed to drop at midnight gets stuck. One of the lights goes out and she makes a comment along the lines of, “It’s 2011 and we haven’t moved past the Christmas lights where if one goes out the whole thing doesn’t work?” Hey, she makes a good fucking point. How can you have that in the script and still go along with it? Clearly, someone along the lines realized this was bullshit and left it in.

They bring in a guy to fix that she apparently fired even though he had worked there for 37 years. If you have worked at a place for 37 years, the only reason you should be fired is if there’s a Sandusky situation.

At one point when the ball is broken, she address the Times Square crowd via the screens in Times Square where everyone listens patiently and are deeply moved by her speech. No one has ever given a crap about the Times Square Alliance and never will.

The two pregnant couples:

Two pregnant couples are trying to be the first to have a baby after New Year’s to win a cash prize. They are apparently the only two couples in New York City who are aware of this contest.

It’s one of many sitcom story lines crammed into this movie.

The two couples go back and forth in blah blah blah stuff. The big issue with this story is that around the 4th or 5th time we see these couples, it’s revealed that one of them already have kids and need the money more, but the kids weren’t in any part of the rest of the movie. Even when both couples were entering the hospital at the same time.

When the two couples make their final appearance at the hospital, the nurse checking them in asks how far their wives’ cervix are dilated, and the fathers know off the top of their heads.

There’s a masquerade party where 15% of the guests are wearing masks.

Trapped in an Elevator:

Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michelle get trapped in an elevator. Yay, another crappy sitcom storyline.

After escaping from the elevator, Lea Michelle makes it to Times Square just in time to find out that the big pop star decided to leave to go back to the Brooklyn Museum, but for some reason everyone is ok with her, as a backup singer, just moving along with the show.

Halle Berry plays nurse. At the end of the movie, she gets all dressed up like she’s going to party, but then goes into a room to talk to her soldier husband on a video chat. In the background of the room there are CHRISTMAS decorations. You guys CHOSE to decorate the room with stuff from a holiday that happened a week before? If this is an attempt to point out that she’s a busy nurse who doesn’t have time to take down her Christmas decorations, then I counter with why did she hang up a sign in her own apartment that said, “Merry Christmas?” Is she just trying to remind herself everyday that she’s alone?

Okay, I can’t go on any further. Just know that there are entire story lines that I didn’t even MENTION. This movie is bloated piece of crap and it’s treatment of time and space makes “Inception” seem plausible. If you’re a glutton for the awful, like me, then I would say check it out, but if you have any normal set of criteria for watching movies, only see this if you’re in a Coma.

“J. Edgar” is the origin story of the FBI and ultimately, “The X-Files”

John Edgar Hoover is a complex figure in American history. He came along at the exact moment when he could accomplish the things he wanted. He served as the creator and director of the FBI for nearly 40 years and created many technological advances used in law enforcement today. His personal life has been subject to speculation following his death. If he were born into today’s 24 hour news cycle society he’d more likely be Augusten Burroughs than director of the FBI. We know too much about people now to make a surprising movie about someone. There won’t be any movies about Herman Cain in 40 years where you find out things and say, “He did what with those women?”

[It should be noted that I saw this movie under the best circumstances. I was one of 4 people in the theatre so I felt like an eccentric recluse who forces his staff to watch films with him.]

“J Edgar” takes a look at some of the major accomplishments of his lengthy career. If you think J. Edgar Hoover is President Herbert Hoover, you’re going to learn a lot. If you’re a student of history or just super old, chances are you’ll be familiar with a lot the content, but “J Edgar” also focuses on a lot of his personal life. It takes some strong stands on his relationship with his mother and good friend Clyde Tolson(Armie Hammer).

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hoover and does a phenomenal job, as expected. For DiCaprio, it’s a character similar in scope and style to Howard Hughes in “The Aviator.”(It’s the way of the future.) He completely becomes the character. It’s really gotten to the point that if he doesn’t blow you away with his performances, the entire film is a failure. DiCaprio is beyond the point of being allowed to phone it in.

A lot of care went into the production of sets and especially the makeup. A good portion of “J. Edgar” takes place when he’s an older man. The makeup looks great when they’re in a controlled environment and intentional lighting, but some scenes, especially the ones that take place outdoors, makes the elderly J. Edgar and Clyde Tolson look like Dan Aykroyd in “Nothing But Trouble.”

“J. Edgar” suffers most in its directing. Clint Eastwood wants to make every scene a poignant one and results in the movie having no ebb and flow. Everything comes off at the same level. The story is told mostly as Hoover dictates his biography and often feels like you’re being dictated to. It also suffers from the fact that J. Edgar Hoover just wasn’t really a likeable or trustworthy guy. He’s interesting, sure, but at no point did I find myself pulling for him.

It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, but also falls short of last year’s great historical biopic “The King’s Speech.” There’s an explosion near the beginning of the movie, but after that feel free to doze off at any point. Anything you miss can be filled in by the members of your house staff you forced to sit through it, or, lacking that, just check wikipedia.

“Submarine” is like an after school special where you learn spying on your parents is necessary and bullying gets you chicks.

When I think back to my childhood, I can’t remember what I was thinking. I can remember what I felt, but more often than not, when I try to remember what was going through my mind, I can only apply what I would think now. I’m very different from when I was when I was 15. Well, except for the fact that I still laugh at farts. (Unexpected body noises are universal comedy truths) The protagonist of “Submarine” approaches the world with that same sort of detachment. Although, I don’t think he’d like farts as much as I do.

Oliver Tate(Craig Roberts) is 15 and going through two mid-puberty crises. The hormonal pressure to have sex is becoming undeniable and his parents have grown distant. He’s made note of their lack of love-making and decides to get them together before it’s too late. His personal sex problem (new band name?) is fueled when Oliver decides to target Jordana(Yasmin Paige) a decision that’s based more on her popularity level than his attraction to her. He’s even willing to relax his rules on bullying people just to impress her.

Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige really shine as detached teens looking for something to hold on to. The performances of the whole cast are pitch perfect throughout. It’s a rather sad movie, but also very funny in an understated way. You won’t find any one man wolf packs or brides taking a shit in the middle of the street, but there are some genuine funny moments if you’re looking for them. (They seem more precious when you have to find them.)

“Submarine” is directed by Richard Ayoade. If you’re a fan of British shows, you may recognize him as Moss on “The IT Crowd” or a couple of roles in “The Mighty Boosh.” He has directed a few things before, but this is his most ambitious project. It really is quite stunning. His use of colors is impressive. Most of the world is filled with grays and blacks, but occasionally someone’s outfit will pop. There are some “Big Fish” time stop shots that are used a bit too often, but not to the point of annoyance.

“Submarine” explores the subject of relationships. Focusing on one relationship that’s just getting started and another that’s slowly flickering out. I couldn’t quite justify giving “Submarine” a Full Energy Drink, but it’s definitely worth a Coffee for the great performances, directing and subtle sense of humor.

“Red State” is like a confused, angry chimpanzee that attacks random people after you lovingly made fart jokes with it for years.

When I was younger, my mom or grandparents would take my brothers and me to the local video store and allow us to rent basically whatever we wanted. We weren’t extremely wealthy so our choices were restricted to the old releases at 5 for $5. In one of the most influential trips, completely unaware of the connection, we brought back “Clerks” and “Mallrats.” From that moment forward, I was a fan of Kevin Smith. It almost bordered on obsession for a while. I’ve seen all of his movies, except for “Cop Out,” but I don’t quite count it because he just directed. I traveled to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank and bought the t-shirt Brodie wears in “Mallrats.” Hell, I even bought a copy of “Now You Know” because Jeff Anderson(Randal from “Clerks”) wrote and directed it. It should also be noted that if my grandfather was the one to take us we were basically required to get horror movies. On Fridays, we would buy Little Caesar’s pizza and then he would pay money to which one of us could stay awake the latest.

So, when I heard Kevin Smith was working on a horror movie, I immediately got to work on building a time machine so I could travel back and screen it for the 15-year-old version of me. Unfortunately, 15-year-old me was busy watching Kevin Smith movies instead of studying physics, so I didn’t get very far. (Sorry about that.)

Travis(Michael Angarano)is jaded when it comes to life in the small town. He doesn’t even seem to care when he sees members the Five Points Church protesting the funeral of a gay teen who was killed in an apparent hate crime. If there is one thing on the planet that can motivate any male teen, it’s sex, and when Travis is approached by his friends Billy-Ray(Nicholas Braun) and Randy(Ronnie Connell) to meet up with an online sex partner, he’s up(heh) for it.

The teens set out for a simple night of triple teaming a random lady. Boys will be boys, you know? After having a few beers, the guys kinda pass out for a while and wake up a little closer to the Five Points Church than they’d like to be. By “a little closer,” I mean tied up in the basement and shit. There’s a lesson to learned here. If you meet up with someone online, and one of the first things they say to you is, “The devil’s right in here,” run. Run as fast as you can. Unless, of course, you’re into that kind of thing.

The acting for the entire cast is pretty solid. Michael Parks puts in a really great performance as the charismatic leader of the church. Managing to keep interest during the extra long sermon scene is particularly impressive. John Goodman also stands out as a torn ATF agent who doesn’t know if it’s better to follow orders or stand by his morals.

The tone and focus of “Red State” shifts about halfway through. It sets up like it’s going to be a modern horror where teens are tortured for their misdeeds, but it turns to more of a thriller once John Goodman’s ATF agent is introduced. This is where “Red State” begins to break apart. There just end up being too many characters and subplots that don’t get enough time spent with them. All together it’s like “Hostel” meets “The Devil’s Rejects” meets “The Negotiator” meets “The People Under the Stairs” with a tiny bit of “Chasing Amy” sprinkled in. “Amy’s Hostel Rejects Negotiating Under the Stairs?”

Kevin Smith’s touch on the movie can be found in the lengthy dialogue and the one random “Clerks” style title screen that tells you the time. Other than that it feels like a completely different director. The overall feel of “Red State” is gritty and brutal. It certainly doesn’t exist in the same world where James Van Der Beek and Jason Biggs make “Bluntman and Chronic” movies. I found it refreshing to see him take such a different approach(There’s something 15-year-old me wouldn’t have said, for sure.)

The feel, direction and acting performances are enough to make “Red State” worth seeing even if the plot falls apart a bit. You’ll need to Nap Before if you’re going to stay awake through the sermon scene and it’ll be worth it to see Kevin Pollack in a classic “Is That Kevin Pollack?” role.

“The Longest Yard” relies on all the tropes of 1970s comedies like domestic violence and burning people alive.

Paul “Wrecking” Crewe(Burt Reynolds) is a former NFL MVP winning quarterback who has been out of the league for 8 years. He suddenly decides to leave the woman who’s been supporting him after she questions why he watches football all the time. When she attempts to stop him from taking her car, he fiercely grabs her by the face and pushes her to the ground before taking the police on a wild car chase. The 1970’s were hilarious, weren’t they?

Once in prison, Crewe is approached by the warden to observe the semi-pro football team that’s made up of the prison’s guards. When Crewe suggests they should play a warm up game, (making him one of the few people in football to suggest that preseason is important) the warden tasks Crewe with putting together a team of prisoners to face the guards.

One problem with “The Longest Yard” is I couldn’t sympathize with any of the characters. They’re prisoners and there’s not one attempt to make any of them seem like anything else. The guards are the bad guys because they come off as bullies when they’re trying to control the prisoners, there’s one scene where they’re jerks to a character and one of them demeans one of the black characters. Other than that, they’re mainly just guards. The prisoners actively train with the intent of hurting the guards. One of the prisoners burns a man alive. It’s a pretty startling scene in what’s supposedly a comedy.

The biggest flaw is in their use of Burt Reynold’s mustache. I can forgive a movie for having a stacheless Reynold’s(Deliverance), but “The Longest Yard” gives us the mustache in the beginning, but then takes it away once he gets to prison. How could you do this? It’s like telling your friend you’re going to give him Five Guys for dinner, but then bringing home Burger King and slapping him in the face. Never mess with a man’s burger and never mess with Burt Reynold’s mustache.

“The Longest Yard” just doesn’t stand the test of time and there’s not much reason to watch it, unless you’re a fan of people burning alive, but then I’d suggest “Mississippi Burning.” “The Longest Yard” gets a Sleep Throughout.

“Deliverance” is like going on a date with a lovely lady and halfway through realizing she’s a man, but you still have good time talking about football.

[Reason #2 for Burt Reynolds month: Even without his beautiful mustache, Burt is able to demand attention while on-screen. A sign of a truly great man.]

Lewis, Ed, Bobby and Drew (Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox) are setting out on a canoe trip down the Cahulawasse River. The river, as Lewis puts it, is, “The last unfucked up river in the south.” A dam is being erected in the area and Lewis wants the guys to experience nature in its purest form before the entire area becomes a lake.

Lewis is the only one of the bunch that has any experience, but he’s also a bit of a hot head. At one point he says he doesn’t believe in insurance because there’s no risk. Drew is the guy that just had to bring his guitar on a white water rafting trip, Ed is the one who dresses like he’s trying to find Dr. Livingston and Bobby is the fat one(Way to not be typecast, Ned Beatty). So, what could possibly go wrong in the back hills of Georgia with one kinda crazy and three inexperienced outdoorsmen? Absolutely everything.

There’s a great moment near the beginning of the film where Drew performs “Dueling Banjos” with a local boy they run into. As the battle of banjo and guitar rages on, things get a little too fast and Drew can no longer keep up. It’s a brilliant scene that sets the tone for the entire film. One of my other favorite moments comee during the early scenes as well, when old school southern curse words pop up like, “God Almighty!” and, my personal favorite, “Shit-Fire!”

“Deliverance” is tough to watch at times. There are uncomfortable scenes of sexual violence that you couldn’t sleep through if you wanted to and, trust me, you will. These scenes, however, create a sense of vulnerability where you feel no one is safe. All of the performances are solid and has two of the most misquoted lines in history. Those being, “I bet you can squeal like a pig,” and, “He got a real pretty mouth, ain’t he?”

[A Note from the Future: This movie was remade in 2014 and those lines were changed to, “Squeal like a pig, bro!” and, “He got a real pretty mouth, ain’t he? No homo.”]

The score has its up and downs. “Dueling Banjos” is used excellently during the beginning, but then it appears in more scenes than a porn star who’s about to be relegated to MILF status. They use it for happy scenes, scary scenes and sad scenes. It works in some of them, but in others it’s almost laughable.

“Deliverance” is often cited as one of the best movies of all time, but I can’t quite see it. It’s a fine movie, and very suspenseful, but the last fifteen minutes were basically useless and the over use of “Dueling Banjos” detracts from certain areas. “Deliverance” gets a Nap Before, but I won’t blame you if you doze off a little.

“Stroker Ace” is a 1980’s ode to fried chicken, topless dudes and the ultra smooth taste of Winston cigarettes.

[Reason #1 for Burt Reynolds month: Burt Reynolds supposedly turned down a role in “Terms of Endearment”(one that Jack Nicholson won an OSCAR for) to play Stroker Ace.]

Stroker Ace(Burt Reynolds) is the bad boy of the NASCAR circuit. He says and does whatever he wants and wins with almost as much ease, when he has a car that can keep up with him. The only problem is his abrasiveness keeps sponsors away. Stroker’s pit chief Lugs(Jim Nabors) does what he can to hold things together, but it just isn’t working anymore.

Stroker has no choice but to sign with Clyde Torkle(Ned Beatty) the owner of The Chicken Pit chain of fried chicken restaurants. Mostly through being an idiot, he signs the enormous contract without reading it. Hilarity supposedly ensues when Stroker realizes there were unexpected clauses. He’s forced to do ribbon cutting ceremonies and other brilliantly funny things like wear a chicken suit. Ha. Ha. Classic comedy.

Burt Reynolds is playing his “I’m Burt F’N Reynolds” character that developed after he discovered he could make movies where he plays himself and people will still see them because he’s Burt F’N Reynolds. If you’re down with Burt being Burt, then you’ll be fine with his performance here. Jim Nabors reprises his role as “the guy who’s never been laid” and sings to cement his status as “that guy who people think are really goofy but has a nice singin’ voice.”(Ok… no more “made up names for things” in this review…)

“Stroker Ace” is really weird when it comes down to it. Most of the attempts at comedy aren’t successful, but there’s plenty of unintentional comedy and WTF moments. Including seeing how many men in the 1970s/80s didn’t wear shirts and a scene where I’m 95% sure Burt Reynolds rapes the female lead. It does, however, have it’s own theme song written by Charlie Daniels.[Legit Note: Theme songs for crappy movies need to make a come back] Also, keep an eye out for cameos from confederate flags and the “Mistress of the Dark”(I didn’t make that one up) Elvira.

“Stroker Ace” isn’t a groundbreaking piece of cinema. Hell, it isn’t even a decent piece of cinema, but it is the perfect movie to put on for a lazy Saturday and Nap During.

“Tangled” is the animated story of Jaycee Dugard. Wait, that can’t be right…

“Tangled” is an updated story of Rapunzel, the girl with extra long hair who is trapped in a tower by an evil witch. That’s the typical story we’re told growing up, but this is Disney’s spin on it. In the Disney version, Rapunzel is a girl with magic hair who is trapped in a tower by an evil witch and has a chameleon. See how different it is?

In “Tangled,” Rapunzel(voiced by Mandy Moore) is pretty damned happy considering she’s been trapped in a tower for most of her life. She still has the willpower to sing upbeat songs about the things she does all day. When Flynn Rider(voiced by Zachary Levi), a swashbuckling thief makes his way into her tower, she convinces him to take her to see the lanterns that appear in the sky each year on her birthday.

The bulk of the film is the pair trying to get to the lanterns and avoid the guards, witch and horse that are hunting them down. The action scenes are a lot of fun and really engaging. The real strong point is in the animation. Every character conveys great emotion even the ones who don’t speak like the chameleon and the horse, Maximus. Maximus is one of the best characters in “Tangled.” He’s like a mix between Jim Carey and Robin Williams, but not as big of a horse’s ass during interviews.

“Tangled” stumbles at points, especially in the songs. Mandy Moore and Donna Murphy sound great, but instead of being classic songs that people will sing during drunken karaoke in their mid twenties, they feel more like a desperate college student who switches his paper font to Courier New in order to get that extra two pages and meet the minimum requirement. Also, Rapunzel’s hair seems to change length to fit the situation but if you’re able to say to yourself, “Oh, right, magic hair,” you should be fine.

“Tangled” is undeniably cute. The songs are lacking, but the animation and the characters’ ability to show emotions are what push it over the edge and make it a Nap Before.